PENGERANG: There will be no establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry on the GISB Holdings Sdn Bhd case pending the presentation of three cabinet ministers on the topic in the Dewan Rakyat next week.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the cabinet had agreed to the presentations of the three ministers; and members of Parliament would also be debating on the matter in the august house.
The three ministers presenting the paper in the Dewan Rakyat will be Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Afairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar and Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.
"There is no Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) yet to investigate the GISB issue; we will let the MPs debate on Tuesday. In the first session, the religious affairs minister will present, followed by the home minister and the women, family and community development minister.
"Then we will open the debate to MPs; some may wish to provide views or suggestions because, on behalf of the government, it is important for the truth to be communicated to the public.
"I believe there are still questions lingering among the public as to why, despite many reports, action has been slow and quiet.
"I cannot answer as I am not responsible for this issue, but thankfully, the three ministers will provide an explanation about what has happened and what the government is currently doing.
"For example, the religious affairs minister may present from the aspect of faith, the home minister may address legal breaches, specifying which sections beyond the penal code that might be involved, and the welfare minister might speak about the assistance provided to victims and their understanding of the issues," she told a press conference after officiating the Legal Literacy Carnival at Dewan Kejora in Bandar Penawar here today.
Azalina said the need for an RCI would be determined following the parliamentary debate. She added that the debate on the GISB issue was crucial and MPs were the voice of the people.
She said the debate would be opened to all government and opposition MPs.
"I read comments on social media that seemed to imply the government was being excessive regarding the GISB issue.
"I hope all MPs will provide their opinions, views and suggestions. The duration of the debate will depend on the speaker. I also want the public to listen to this debate at 11am and it will continue into the afternoon," she added.
Regarding the children who were rescued from welfare homes allegedly linked to GISB, Azalina said the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 was sufficient to deal with the situation.
However, the application of Section 19 of the Act had not been utilised effectively.
"In my view, the laws on child sexual offences, including sections on children's testimony in court, are adequate; the issue now is its application."In this regard, Section 19 serves as the primary application for not reporting, where individuals who fail to report are committing an offence under the child sexual offences law, and that is before considering other acts," she said.
Earlier, Saifuddin said he would be presenting a ministerial statement on GlSB in the upcoming Dewan Rakyat session.
The ministerial statement, he said, would focus on police investigations into the company and will be tabled before the 2025 budget on Oct 18, allowing MPs to debate the issue.
In Op Global, a major operation conducted by the authorities on Sept 11, 402 minors aged 1 to 17 were rescued from alleged exploitation at 20 welfare homes in Selangor and Negri Sembilan, which were allegedly linked to GISB. The total number of children rescued now stood at 625.